by Anne McClane
She narrowed her eyes further at Eli. He something-like-a-smiled at her.
Soon, everyone was in place for the scene. It felt like only seconds had passed. Lacey stood silent and motionless, and watched Jason Booker. It wasn’t until she heard him say, “I care about Sinead, and that’s the heart of the matter,” that she realized they were doing an exact re-shoot of the scene she’d witnessed on the soundstage just three weeks earlier.
It made Lacey snap out of the work-induced fog she’d gotten herself into. She wondered why they weren’t shooting it on the soundstage, like the first time. She guessed maybe they were hoping the gorgeous backdrop might distract the viewer from Jason Booker’s terrible acting. There was no getting around it, and she didn’t feel the tiniest bit of guilt for thinking it. His stage presence was stiff, his delivery was robotic. He was really terrible. Maybe the perception was worse because she had the memory of Kevin Horner to compare it to. There would be no breaking out into Don Henley singing. At least, she sure hoped not.
And her more pressing, personal concerns bubbled up. Standing silent, watching the awful scene unfold, she had an impulse to scream, shout out, feign fainting—anything to stop the travesty of a movie production she was watching unfold. Because what she really wanted to do was talk to Eli, and tell him about what she saw on the ridgeline, and find out what he thought of it.
Lacey was spared the trouble of causing a scene.
The first thing she noticed was Jason Booker freezing and going silent. The next thing she saw was Hunter throwing a script to the ground. Lacey figured Jason had forgotten his line. But when everyone turned around to face Lacey, she panicked. Until she realized they weren’t looking at her. She turned slowly, and saw a man in a suit and a woman in a wheelchair.
Allison.
Arms crossed, neck brace, one leg in a cast. With sunglasses and perfectly-styled hair. Lacey felt like she was watching a scene in a movie. She went a little dizzy when she remembered she was actually on a movie set.
Someone who wasn’t Hunter yelled, “Cut!”
Hunter and Eli marched over, and Eli leaned over and whispered in Lacey’s ear as he passed. “Come with me, but wait outside.”
Huh?
Lacey stood at an awkward arm’s length as Hunter started yelling obscenities at the man who accompanied Allison. He stood silent in his dark suit, yellow tie, and sunglasses. He made Lacey think of Secret Service detail. If he would have allowed himself any sort of expression at all, he might have been amused by Hunter’s tirade.
When Hunter stopped to breathe, Eli said in a low but powerful voice, “Let’s step out of this heat. We can talk in the trailer.”
It’s really not that hot, Lacey thought. Secret Service Man pushed Allison toward the Airstream, and Hunter huffed over in that direction. Eli’s floating eye gave Lacey an indication that she should follow.
Lacey thought Allison might be staring at her, but it was hard to tell with the sunglasses. The permanent scowl on her face made Lacey step back a few paces, to get out of her line of sight.
There were three steps up to the Airstream trailer; Lacey assumed it was Marco’s. A point validated when the door opened and he appeared. Lacey wondered how Allison would make it inside. Suit man wheeled her up to the steps and offered his arm. Allison swatted it away and griped, “No! I want her help.” She aimed her index finger behind her. Lacey thought the bandage around Allison’s head might hide an extra set of eyes, because her finger pointed squarely at her.
Eli nodded at Lacey.
Why me?
She reluctantly approached and offered an arm without looking Allison in the face. Wiry fingers clamped onto Lacey’s sleeve. She winced reflexively.
“I’m still very weak,” Allison said. It was more of a command than an apology.
Lacey felt heat radiating from her arm where Allison held it. They were connected no more than a minute as they ascended the steps together, but Lacey was drenched by the time she handed Allison off to Marco. He had another wheelchair waiting, which struck Lacey as exceedingly odd.
This day just keeps getting weirder.
Eli offered her a towel he must have produced from one of his many pockets. As he walked up the steps to join the others, he whispered, “Wait out here. Allison and I will be out shortly. You will join us.”
Lacey stared at him and wiped her brow with the towel.
And stupid me, thinking it wasn’t hot.
She tried to remember how to cool herself off. She closed her eyes and thought of snow. But then heard muffled shouts from the trailer. She opened her eyes and felt the tiniest bit cooler.
Maybe I’m getting the hang of this.
She held the towel in her hand and shuffled from foot to foot, waiting outside the Airstream. She tried to find a spot where she wouldn’t be seen. She felt weird about loitering around outside some meeting. A meeting about what? There was no telling. What on earth was Allison doing here? And was Secret Service her lawyer? Or her private security guard?
She felt weird, physically, too. She knew some of her power had been spent on Allison, she knew enough now to be able to tell the signature—breaking out into a sweat like that was a dead giveaway. But she felt very spent, more so than the short amount of time should indicate. And why did Allison insist upon her help?
I feel weird. And I want to go home.
She thought of her home on Florida Boulevard. Tonti might be on the porch right now, drinking a fleur-tini, antagonizing her neighbor, Mr. Max. She wanted to be there. For the first time in a very long time, she was excited about what the future could hold for her in New Orleans.
The city certainly has a need for emergency medical services. She was ready to get on with it.
She heard the door to the Airstream open. Eli beckoned her over. Lacey positioned the original wheelchair to receive Allison before going to fetch her.
I’m going to make a great paramedic.
Lacey felt close to faltering on the way back down with Allison. Okay, this isn’t good. Eli held on to Allison’s other side, and he took over and helped set Allison down.
Lacey took a deep breath. Eli looked over to her, his expression unusually solicitous. She nodded at him, I’m fine. He started wheeling Allison, and Lacey followed.
Weirder and weirder.
“I miss him,” Eli said. Lacey wasn’t sure whether he said it to her or Allison. She knew he was talking about Kevin. She waited for Allison to respond.
Allison tilted her head. Almost as if she recognized a cue, she lifted her sunglasses just enough to dab at her eyes. “I do, too.”
Lacey didn’t know what to think. Nothing about her gesture seemed sincere, but her words sounded true.
Lacey hurried to keep pace. Eli was rapidly wheeling Allison away. She had no idea where. They crossed a bridge that forded a shallow ravine. No water ran underneath.
Lacey saw soon enough that they were headed back to the main resort. Eli wheeled Allison up the steep incline to the doors of the Healing Institute with no apparent effort. Lacey thought of trying to wheel back down, how easy it would be to lose control.
She tried to stop thinking of that.
Eli left Allison dead center of the Healing Institute’s studio space. Lacey followed and stood behind the chair, trying to mouth to Eli behind Allison’s back. Her mouth formed the words What do you need me to do?, her eyes raised in a question mark.
“Lacey, come stand by me,” he said out loud. “We both need to look Allison in the eyes.”
Lacey was surprised at how quickly Allison removed her sunglasses. She glared at the two of them, but mostly at Eli. A defiant and haughty stare.
What the heck is this about?
“I know what caused Kevin’s accident,” Eli said.
Oh, shit. He does? Lacey strained to keep her face forward and emotionless.
&
nbsp; “I know it wasn’t alcohol or drug impairment, I know it was not swerving to avoid another driver, I know it was not an earthquake. I know it was you,” he said pointedly to Allison.
Lacey felt her stomach quiver. So her sense of doubt was right.
“That’s ridiculous,” she said. She fidgeted in her wheelchair.
Lacey’s distrust grew.
“You were under his skin from the moment he met you. You saw that, you exploited that. You injected another needle and twisted it at a most inopportune moment, and the consequences nearly claimed you, too.”
Lacey tried to make sense of Eli’s words. As usual, he only confused her further. But even so, whatever he was saying seemed to confirm her nagging suspicion of Allison.
Allison’s eyes narrowed, but her grimace softened. It was as if an invisible hand pulled a mask over her face. The defiance almost covered up by the engaging warmth Lacey remembered, from the first time she saw Allison in action.
“How could I have caused the accident?” Allison said, hurt apparent in her voice. “I didn’t grab the wheel, I didn’t even touch him! All I was doing was talking.”
“You were manipulating him.”
“How is talking manipulating?” she said, a genuine confusion registering in her voice.
“You know very well how talking is manipulating. You’ve had a gift for it your whole life. And you’ve used it to further your own lot, with no thought of the impact to others.”
What was Eli talking about? What did he know about Allison’s past? Dumb question. He’s probably been in her head.
“What do you want, Eli? You can’t prove I did anything wrong. Can he, Lacey?”
The question fell hard on Lacey. Allison’s voice was putting her at war with herself. She had an impulsive desire to say anything, even if it was a lie, to prove Allison innocent. But to her core, Lacey knew that was wrong. She managed to whisper a strangled, “Stop it,” and felt her doubt turn to certainty.
There was something in Allison’s voice. Something powerful. And she’d used it to kill Kevin and get his money. Anger flared up hot and heavy. To use and abuse such a bright life that way—it was so deeply wrong.
“Lacey, answer—”
“No.” Eli was silent for several moments. It had the intended effect on Allison. “Leave her be. No, I cannot prove it.”
“Well, then, what?” Allison squirmed in the chair.
“You disappear,” he finally answered. “You release your ridiculous appeal for Kevin’s estate. You withdraw this fallacious suit against the production.”
She’s suing the production?
“Or what?” Allison replied. She folded her arms and the grimace returned.
Eli took a deep breath. It looked like he was preparing to say something, give her the full threat. This is what’ll happen, Allison, her name said like a sneer, Lacey imagined.
But then he closed his eyes. It seemed it was only for an instant. But in that instant, Allison’s expression utterly altered. The grimace morphed into an open-mouthed, silent scream. Her eyes, still without the sunglasses, registered something Lacey had never seen before. If she was forced to name it, it would be terror. But the word seemed inadequate.
Whatever it was, it was spreading. Just seeing Allison’s face struck Lacey’s heart, and an abject fear took root. She planted her feet and tried to calm herself. Whatever this is, it’s not aimed at me.
In that moment, Lacey realized it was Eli doing something to Allison. That only made her fear grow.
Allison’s face relaxed into a vacant stare. She looked unconscious with open eyes.
Lacey turned to Eli, too frightened to speak. What did you do?
Eli sighed. “Please bring her outside. The lawyer will meet you there.”
Lacey finally found her voice. “Eli, I can’t hand her off like this!”
“She’ll recover quickly.” He turned and walked toward the room she and Christine had occupied just last week.
The fear lodged in Lacey’s heart started to grow warm. She wheeled Allison to the door, and made sure Eli was nowhere in sight.
Lacey thought about paramedics. Weren’t they obliged to offer assistance to whoever needed it? Regardless of what crimes they may or may not have committed?
Regardless of her black heart, I can’t, in good conscience, leave her like this. Dammit.
She placed herself between Allison and the door, crouched down, and gently grabbed Allison’s forearms. She went immediately woozy, but remembered she had a very specific intent. This is triage. Just get her past this shock. That’s all.
Lacey released her. Allison blinked. Lacey looked long enough to see a more normal expression, then scurried behind the chair. Through the glass, Lacey could see the lawyer ascending the hill.
She wheeled Allison through the door as the Secret Service lawyer guy opened it. Wordlessly, he grabbed the handles of the chair, and pivoted so that they both would descend the hill with their backs to the decline.
Allison aimed her gaze at Lacey. She couldn’t see her eyes, but her lips thinned and one side of her perfect teeth showed. It was an evil smile that turned Lacey’s blood to ice.
Oh God. What did I just do?
26
Lacey still hadn’t talked to Eli about her ridgeline vision. She was too freaked out by what had happened with Allison at the Healing Institute. What had Eli done to her? And was Lacey in danger of it happening to herself?
As soon as she had handed off Allison to her lawyer, she went searching for Eli. She found him counting yoga mats.
“Eli . . . what just happened? And what did you do to her?”
“I didn’t do anything to her,” he said, his back to her.
Lacey walked so that she could see his profile. There was a look in his eyes she’d never seen before. His hand shook as he fingered through the mats, his lips moving in a silent vocalization. She couldn’t believe Eli could be fretful. That Eli could be vulnerable.
“Eli, I’ve never seen anyone look that frightened. And I’ve seen people die.”
He stopped counting. “Don’t forget how new all this is to you. How do you know? Were you really looking?” He moved on from the mats to a basket full of foam blocks.
“Eli . . . ” Lacey didn’t feel like she was getting anywhere. “I’m frightened.”
He set down the basket and turned his head to her. His floating eye went clear across the room. “Of what?”
Lacey threw her hands up. “I’m seeing things I don’t understand, things that aren’t happening, and then the stuff that is happening makes no sense! I can heal people, but only certain people, in a certain way, and my body heats up like a soldering iron when I do it. So, I don’t know, pick something.”
“No.” He pivoted his body to face her. “Your ability is not what’s frightening you. The visions, maybe. But you left something out. The thing that’s frightening you most.”
“Okay, fine. It’s you! You’re scaring the hell out of me!” At that very instant, he was. “You practically turned Allison into a vegetable with, what was it, some Jedi mind trick? How can you say you didn’t do anything to her?”
And what’s stopping you from doing the same thing to me?
Eli became still. “Do you feel I’ve betrayed a trust?” His voice was so quiet, Lacey strained to hear.
“I’m not sure, Eli.” She’d lowered her voice, too. “I want to believe you would never do that to me. Or to anyone who didn’t have evil intentions. But I don’t know enough about how this all works. I’m too vulnerable.”
Eli sighed. “Let me bring this back to the recent occurrence. To my interaction with Allison. I will try to explain it, and will let you judge for yourself.”
He took a step toward Lacey, but maintained a respectful distance.
“Allison’s mind space is a
very dark place. There are many different places her thoughts, and actions, can lead her to. There was a suggestion of one of those conclusions.”
“There was a suggestion?” Lacey tried to process his words. “You mean, you planted a vision in her head?”
“That’s not entirely accurate, but if it helps you reach an understanding, then, yes.”
Lacey stood silent. That kind of power was dangerous. And its effect was the opposite of what Lacey wanted to use her power for. Was Eli really her Superfriend, after all?
But then again, Allison had a dangerous power. That she did not use for good.
Did that make her a Superfoe? And does that justify what Eli did?
“I need to go,” she said quietly.
She didn’t know where. She just knew she needed to.
Allison’s intrusion had shut down all activity for the day. Lacey received a text from Eli: Work’s over today. Tomorrow likely dark too. Wait until you hear from me.
Great.
While not really great, it spared her the awkwardness of working so closely with Eli when her trust level had dipped so low. But about the last thing she needed, or wanted, was to be idle.
At least she had something to do. Her brother’s gig—and Trevor’s—was in Santa Barbara tonight. Two of the guys from the crew were planning to go, so she could ride down with them. She didn’t want to be alone. And it would give her a good excuse to avoid going home with Trevor. She still felt conflicted over their moody hike at the Mineral Springs. Her previous infatuation with Trevor had been replaced with confusion. She wondered if that was a normal feeling at the end of an affair.
None of this is as much fun as I thought it was gonna be.
Scott and Hans talked about video games the whole car ride down to Santa Barbara. Lacey tried to interject some movie knowledge—she’d seen her share of movies based on video games—but neither of them bit.
How can they both work on movies and not know movies?
They arrived early enough that Lacey felt comfortable seeking out her brother. She knew better than to engage him too close to set time.
